You Found Me
by StarkidGleek12
Summary: Marley had all but given up on her life. She's finally cut the last tether connecting her to the ones she loves. But what happens when she's given one more chance? Will she realize how important she is to everyone, especially Ryder? RATED T for intense content. I own nothing related to glee please read and review.


**A/N: Hey everyone! I wrote this one-shot a couple of weeks ago and i'm finally satifised with it! It might be slightly confusing because I was experimenting with this idea that Marley tried to committ suicide but she gets a second chance to see what she was giving up, so it requires her to kind of float inbetween life and death. It also switches POV a lot, but I hope people understand what I was trying to do with it. I'm also going to update Safe Haven tonight and i'll continue working on Don't Let Me Down and The Accidental Matchmaker. I realized that i'll be super busy with classes this week so i'll try to keep on updating but I can't make any promises now, which is why i'm posting what I have done for now. Last night, I also posted an M-rated ryley fic which was super smutty, but I hope people check it out. Please read and review and I love all of you that leave positively glowing reviews! And I hope everyone enjoys this week's ep of glee! Personally, i'm eager to see who Marley is yelling at. And I also thought it would be so awesome if Marley had a little showdown with Ryder's new facebook floozy. I mean, asking a dude for naked pics? It's not cute, it's trashy! Anyways, rant over. As always, I own nothing related to glee!**

You Found Me

Marley's POV

Marley was walking down a long lighted corridor. She heard beeps and saw a group of nurses and paramedics rushing a gurney into a room. No one saw her and walked past her as if she didn't exist. She caught a snippet of the hurried discussion however.

"We need Dr. Miller down in ER stat! Tell him we have a patient, a seventeen year old female, possible OD, attempt at suicide! Hurry up and get the paddles, she's trying to flatline!"

Marley caught a glimpse at the lifeless body they were so desperately trying to save. She jumped back in shock when she saw it was herself and wracked her brains trying to remember what happened. Then it hit her. Marley killed herself. Or tried to anyway. She remembered the cold medicine and vodka she forced into her system earlier, trying to cut her last tether to earth. She saw the fresh blood still seeping from the raw cuts on her arm she made in one last attempt to feel something. Marley remembered the pile of crumpled paper on the floor of her bedroom that she made when she tried writing her last words to the people she loved. She tried to apologize for doing this to herself and everyone around her. She tried to put all the emotions she bottled up in her words but she just couldn't. She gave up as she felt the life leave her body. Marley wasn't sure how anyone found her. She could've sworn that her mom was working late and no one at school would've known what she was doing because she was home sick that day.

"Oh well. It's a lost cause anyway. The real Marley Rose died a long time ago." she thought bitterly to herself as the hospital staff tried to save her.

She doubted anyone cared enough about her to be in the lobby mere seconds after she was brought to the hospital, but she walked to the lobby anyway. She was surprised by what she saw however. She saw her mom sobbing in the far corner of the lobby as a small group of people tried to console her. She saw a few police officers trying to calm her down and convince her that her daughter would live. She saw Mr. Schue, her Glee club teacher and his wife, the guidance counselor Emma Pillsbury run into the hospital lobby, the shock evident on their faces when they saw Millie Rose sobbing, confirming their fears.

Will and Emma's POV

"Millie, is she-?" Mr. Schue choked out, refusing to finish the next part of his sentence.

"No, not yet. Her friend found her just in time. We just took his statement. Apparently he went over to the house to drop off her schoolwork for today. He saw that the house was dark except for her bedroom on the first floor and that the window was open. He went to see if she was in there and saw her passed out on the floor next to a bottle of vodka and a couple of boxes of Benadryll. He opened the window so he could get in and called 911. Luckily he also knew CPR so that helped save the girl's life." a gentle female police officer explained. "Are you two related to the victim?" The officer asked him.

"No, I'm the director of the McKinley Glee Club. Marley's a member. But, my wife Emma is the guidance counselor. We got a call telling us what happened." Mr. Schue explained.

Then Ms. Pillsbury spoke. "Did anyone tell you that Marley has history with mental problems? Last year she was diagnosed with an eating disorder." Ms. Pillsbury said to the officer.

"Yes ma'am. The young man mentioned it and her mother confirmed it." the officer assured them. Even though Mr. Schue had a sneaking suspicion of who found Marley, he asked anyway. "You mentioned that a friend found her. Can you tell us who it is?"

"I'm sorry sir, I can't reveal that until our investigation is complete. But he said he was a friend and classmate of the girl. He's sitting over there if you want to talk to him." Mr. Schue looked over in the direction the officer pointed in and his heart broke into a million pieces when he saw Ryder Lynn sobbing quietly.

"Ok thank you so much officer." Mr. Schue said as they walked over to the young man. Mr. Schue was at a loss for words. It was bad enough that he had to be the one who found her and that they were good friends. But he also knew that Ryder carried a burning torch for Marley, even though she'd always turn him away.

"Hey Ryder. I'm sorry about what happened to her." Mr. Schue said gently. He thought asking if Ryder was alright would be too much because obviously he wasn't.

"Why did this happen?" Ryder asked quietly.

"They say that you found her just in time and that you saved her life by doing CPR until the paramedics arrived. Maybe we might be able to make more sense of this when she wakes up." Mr. Schue replied.

"But what if she doesn't wake up? Then what? What if she dies and no one knew how miserable she was?" Ryder snapped.

"Ryder, you know that deep down inside Marley's a fighter. But she needs you to stay strong for her." Emma comforted him. They were tensely silent as they waited to hear news of Marley's condition. As the hours passed, more Glee club members and some classmates came into the hospital to comfort each other. Santana Lopez, a former Glee club member and Marley's mentor and friend brought candles so they could do a candlelight vigil for Marley. Some people sang, some people prayed and others just cried as they tried to make sense of this. By midnight, the doctor was finally able to deliver some news. "We have her somewhat stabilized. When we tried to stabilize her heart and pump her stomach, she lapsed into a coma because of the substances and her low body weight. Her heart couldn't handle that much pressure. She also suffered a massive loss of blood from some self-inflicted injuries. We don't know if or when she'll regain consciousness but we're doing everything we can." The doctor announced grimly. So there it was. Marley's life was now on the balance but everyone in that room wondered desperately if there was something they could've done to help Marley.

Marley's POV

In all honesty, as Marley sat in the waiting room observing her own vigil, she felt more miserable than ever. Surely everyone in this room had better things to do but yet they stayed here. Her reverie was interrupted. "So Marley, enjoying your own party?" her friend and mentor Santana Lopez said as she sat down next to her on the floor.

"Santana? What is happening? Why am I out here and in there? Am I dead?" Marley asked frantically.

"Whoa girl, slow down! I'll try to explain everything. First of all, you're not dead. Yet. And I'm not actually the real Santana. I'm a byproduct of your guilty subconscious. Yeah sure a small part of you wanted to leave this God-awful, miserable world, but the other part doesn't. Luckily your boy Ryder found you just in time, but when the doctors put you on the operating table, you went into a coma. So the reason you're out here and in there is because you are hanging in the balance of life and death. All of these people here care a lot about you. Not only are you hurting yourself but everyone here in this room. At exactly midnight, the doctor announced you went into a coma so you get twenty four hours starting now to make your final decision." Santana calmly explained.

"Wait, so no one here can see me but I can see all of them?" Marley asked curiously.

"Yes genius. God, I thought you were smarter than that." Santana replied snarkily. "Now the clock is ticking sweet cheeks! Better hope you make the right decision." Santana added before walking away.

"Santana! Wait! Where are you going?!" Marley yelled frantically, but it was no use. Santana had left the building.

Marley sat back down, her head spinning. How was she supposed to make this decision? Sure she didn't want to hurt everyone who cared about her, but was she supposed to suffer too? She looked around the room, trying to see where to start. She couldn't face her loved ones just yet, so she turned back into the corridor of hospital rooms until she found hers. Obviously the doctors haven't let anyone see her yet. The only person there was a kind and gentle nurse who was checking her vital signs.

"Just hold on sweetie. I know life is tough but that's why we deal with it. It's too precious to waste." the nurse said to her lifeless body as she took her hand.

"Oh dear. Your body is cold as ice. Here. I'll put a blanket on." The nurse comforted as she covered her up.

Marley stood by the door looking at this scene in shock. Why was this nice lady doing this? Obviously it was her job but why was she wasting so much energy caring for a girl who stopped caring about herself such a long time ago? Marley felt like she was going to be sick if she had to see any more of that so she wandered back into the waiting room.

She noticed that a couple more people have arrived: Jake and Kitty. Marley was wondering why they were even there. As far as she was concerned, both of them had made her life a living hell. Jake screwed her over so many times before finally breaking her heart and Kitty was just a heartless bitch who hated Marley for no reason since the day they met. It sickened Marley to see them there, trying to repent their guilt when it was too late.

"Why are you here?" Ryder asked Jake hollowly.

"Why didn't you tell us sooner? We had to hear about this from some cheerleader. We care about her too." Jake replied fiercely.

"Really? You guys did a damn good job showing it! I've never heard Kitty say one nice thing to her. And don't even try to tell me that you care about her dude. I didn't see you try to help her hide all those false positive pregnancy tests. In fact, I remember you giving her a wad of cash convincing her to get an abortion if she really was pregnant. Oh and then you left her high and dry when you slept with every other girl in the school when she thought she was pregnant. She pretty much gave all of herself to you and you had the nerve to break her even more. You make me sick." Ryder spat.

"Don't you dare blame me for this! It's not my fault the girl is obviously selfish and mentally unstable. If she wasn't so damn insecure, she wouldn't have practically begged me to have sex with her. And as far as I'm concerned, you're at fault too because you handed her to me on a silver platter and now you're trying to play the hero. It's too late. Maybe you should've let the bitch die if you care so much about what she wants." Jake replied spitefully.

Mr. Schue, Blaine, Finn, Mike and Sam all had to hold Ryder back to keep him from beating Jake up. "Someone please get this selfish bastard out of here now." Ryder exclaimed with a dark and angry look in his eyes Marley had never seen before.

"He's not worth it Ryder." Mr. Schue said as they led Ryder away.

"Jake, I can't believe Marley and I actually tried to vouch for you. I thought maybe you were a little bit like Noah but you are far worse than him. He was a lot of things, but he actually tried to man up and fix his mistakes. I saw how much Marley got hurt because of you and now you have the nerve to disrespect her like this?! If you know what's good for you, you'll stay far away from the others and keep your mouth shut." Mr. Schue warned him before walking away.

"Whatever." Jake muttered angrily before grabbing Kitty's hand and going to sit down. Kitty however, pulled away. She had a hollow, unreadable expression on her face.

"What is the matter with you?!" Jake said to her.

"Just stay the hell away from me right now." Kitty muttered before storming off to sit with Quinn Fabray.

Jake ran out the door, slamming the door on his way out. Marley walked closer to where Ryder sat. She saw that he was still shaking with anger. Her mom, Santana and Ms. Pillsbury were all trying to comfort him while the men looked on. Marley's stomach dropped when she saw Ryder so miserable. She knew that he still loved her but she always thought he'd move on. She was surprised by how he stood up for her in front of Jake. Other than her mom, Ryder might have been suffering more than anyone else.

She was suddenly floored by all the memories of Ryder helping her out in the past year. She remembered how him and Santana got her all the pregnancy tests that turned out to be false positives. Ryder even went with her to the doctor's office when she found out that she really wasn't pregnant, pretending he was the father. He was the one she turned to when Jake broke her heart time and time again and he still supported her every time she went back to him.

Ryder was her best friend and he was still madly in love with her. He held on to any piece of hope she gave him that they would be together and she crushed it. Ryder didn't deserve someone like that. He was too good for her but he still stuck around. All she wanted was to feel his warmth one more time, so she walked over to him and sat at his knees.

"Ryder, I know you can't hear me right now, but I'm so sorry for doing this to you." she sobbed quietly.

She hesitantly put her hand on his kneecap, surprising herself when she found it was solid. At that moment, Santana left his side so Marley took the empty seat next to him. She buried herself in his warm and inviting chest and put her arms around him as sobs wracked her tired body. She knew he probably couldn't feel her, but she didn't care, all she needed was his touch.

When he finally left the hospital around 4am at the urging of Mr. Schue and her mom, she followed him home. She knew this might have been slightly creepy but she didn't care. She followed him upstairs to the room that was so familiar to her as he comforted her many times there. When he finally collapsed on his bed, Marley sat down next to him and grasped his hand.

She laid down next to him as he murmured something before drifting off. "Marley, I know you can hear me. I also know that even though you're incredibly stubborn and defiant, some part of you isn't ready to leave us yet. Just please keep holding on. I know you can."

Marley made a promise to him right then. Even though she knew he couldn't physically hear her, he could feel it somewhere inside. "I will Ryder. And I promise to make this up to you somehow."

Sometime around 9am, Marley left his house. She wandered around aimlessly until she passed the school. She decided to make another stop in there. As she walked by the auditorium, she saw the staff waiting outside. Clearly the auditorium was already packed with students. Some of the staff were crying while others looked shell-shocked. It hit her that the school probably had to officially announce that a student attempted to commit suicide and would probably die. The staff finally went inside as Principal Figgins turned on the microphone. He made the announcement that so many students already knew was true. But hearing it come from him and Ms. Pillsbury somehow set it in stone.

Most of the students were genuinely upset. Others were angry and muttered things like "_Marley Rose is just an attention whore._" and "_Why couldn't she just die?!_" It sort of hurt to hear those things being said about her. Marley left the auditorium. She couldn't handle being in there for one more second. She wandered around the school feeling totally numb. At one point, she looked at a wall clock and noticed it was time for Glee club so she went straight to the choir room. She didn't notice that she almost walked right through Ryder, who had just come to school. Mr. Schue looked surprised to see him.

"Hey, are you sure it was a good idea to come to school today?" he asked him gently.

Ryder looked miserable. He clearly hadn't got a lot of sleep and looked like he was on the verge of tears.

"Yeah. I really needed a distraction right now." he replied.

"Ok, well if you need to, feel free to leave if it gets too hard for you to be here." Mr. Schue told him before starting class. Somehow the choir room was more filled than before. Marley noticed that it was mostly full of graduates who came back when they heard the news.

"Hey guys. I know a lot of you probably aren't in the mood to sing right now. A lot of you knew Marley and some of you probably don't know her, but you've heard a lot about her. We all know that the Glee club is one big family so I'm sure she appreciates that all of you came back home and that you all put her in your thoughts and prayers. I'm not sure how to do class today honestly. Do any of you have anything you'd like to share about her?" Mr. Schue started.

Unique was the first to raise her hand. "Unique go ahead." Mr. Schue prompted. "Well right now I only want to think about the good times with her, so does anyone else remember the first time anyone heard the sweetest girl in the world curse for the first time?" Unique chuckled.

"God, that girl can curse like a sailor. I don't know if any of you know how much of a spitfire she can be." Ryder remembered fondly.

"I remember when Mr. Schue locked us all in the room for eight hours straight as part of a trust-building exercise. I thought Marley was going to murder someone. Mainly Jake and Ryder." Artie piped up.

"Why?" Santana laughed.

"She was on her period at the time and Jake and Ryder were getting on her nerves more than usual." Blaine replied simply.

"I remember her trying to explain the concept of the Trojan war to Brittany and how it had nothing to do with competition between brands of condoms." Tina laughed.

Everyone laughed as they remembered the good times with Marley in a time she wasn't so broken. Then, the room got quiet as a dark shadow of emotion passed through everyone there. Blaine was the first one to speak up. Marley noticed he was sitting with his boyfriend Kurt in the back of the room.

"Why?" he asked simply, trying to hold back tears.

"I know I act like I have all the answers and I try to help you guys through your problems, but I honestly don't know why she did this. I just hope that she'll get better and come back from this stronger. A lot of you heard all the rumors and stories that went around about her and she tried to act like it doesn't bother her. On top of all that, she really has never had it easy. At some point, I guess she had to snap. But I want all of you to promise that no matter how bad things get, you'll never resort to hurting yourself in any way. And that you'll find something to live for that will help you hold on." Mr. Schue told the class solemnly.

"I just want to see Marley better and standing here in this room with us." Ryder said quietly as he ran out of the room. Knowing him, he was probably going to the weight room to blow off steam. Marley also had to get out of the room. Now the realization of her actions was wearing her down. How could she have done this to him and all of her friends? Marley sat down on the floor against the cool lockers and let the tears fall freely. She was hoping that she could get a second chance to fix everything.

"So how are you feeling?" the subconscious Santana asked sympathetically as she sat down in front of her.

"I FEEL AWFUL! OK? Yeah, ok I wasn't thinking! And now everyone has to suffer. But what about me? God knows I've tried for so long to get past all the hurt. I can't handle it anymore! How did things get so bad?!" Marley sobbed.

"Do you really want to know?" Santana asked quietly.

"Yeah, I guess." Marley calmed down a little bit.

"Ok, well just starting with last year alone, you let Kitty get you down and then you let Jake define you. After all the bullshit he put you through, your spirit broke. You started doing things to yourself and you eventually lost your way. And then of course, you remember the back to school party a few weeks ago when Jake took advantage of you again. Then all the rumors started and you couldn't take it anymore." Santana told her simply.

"Is there any way you can take me back to see what happened?" Marley asked quietly.

"I'll try." Santana replied as they both got up.

Marley saw she was at the party at Kitty's house before school started, but didn't remember being in a dark room. Marley saw the red solo cup and remembered taking a drink from it, but feeling sick as soon as she drank it. She heard the bloodcurdling screams from the bed and saw Jake pinning her down, pulling the pillowcase off of the pillow and shoved it into her mouth to shut her up. Then, he smacked her across the face.

"Shut up, you bitch! This will be so much easier if you just let me do this." he yelled. Then, he tied her hands to the bedposts and started to pull off her jeans. A half hour later, Jake got up off of her and untied her. "Get your clothes back on." he said to her gruffly.

Marley did as she was told and started to run past him. But, before she could, he pinned her to the wall. "Do not tell anyone about this!" he warned her.

The future Marley could smell the booze coming from Jake as the past one nodded quickly. Marley quickly opened the door where she saw Ryder and Kitty eying her and Jake suspiciously. Then, Marley vomited on the floor and started sobbing. Ryder quickly came to her side, forcing a bottle of water in her system.

"Jake, what did you do to her?!" Ryder yelled at him.

"Nothing, dude." Jake said, not meeting anyone's eyes. But, no one believed him.

"Come on Marls, I'll get you home." Ryder soothed, leading her out of the party, not missing the chance to glare at Jake as he walked past.

Santana, interrupted this, taking Marley's hand. Suddenly, they were spinning in the air and landed back in the crowded hallways of McKinley. Marley was standing at her locker facing herself. Then she saw Becky Jackson slide by her. "Slut!" she yelled.

The past Marley slammed her locker shut in anger and turned to Becky. "Who told you?!" Marley demanded of the cheerleader.

"Kitty told everyone at cheerios practice!" Becky said as she walked away.

Marley remembered this. She felt betrayed that Kitty told everyone what happened at the party and it probably wasn't an accurate account of what really happened. There was no way in hell Kitty would admit her precious boyfriend Jake was a sleazebag. Marley stormed to Glee practice, taking everyone by surprise. She stopped right in front of Kitty who was currently being felt up by Jake right in the middle of class. "What the hell is your problem with me?!" Marley screamed at her.

"What are talking about?" Kitty asked innocently.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about, damn it!" Marley yelled.

Mr. Schue tried to pull Marley away but it didn't work. "You told everyone that I tried to sleep with Jake a couple of weeks ago at that stupid party, but you know that wasn't true! And now everyone thinks I'm a slut! Why don't you tell the truth for once in your life?!" Marley screamed at her, on the verge of tears.

"Oh sweetie, everyone already thinks you're a slut. Why don't you just own up to it and wear a red A on your clothes so everyone knows exactly who you are?" Kitty replied arrogantly.

Everyone in the room was watching the showdown with dropped jaws. Then, Marley finally broke and slapped Kitty across the face hard. Everyone let out a gasp of surprise.

"You don't know anything about me." Marley told her dangerously and ran out of the room.

Then all of a sudden, the scene changed. Santana and Marley were now standing in her bedroom the next evening when she tried to kill herself. Marley told her mom she was sick so she could stay home. Marley was sitting in her bed, staring out at the rain, trying to gain her nerve. Earlier, she snuck out to the gas station that didn't check I.D.s and bought two bottles of vodka with some of her money she kept under her mattress. Marley never really drank except for a couple of times but she needed to numb the pain fast. Marley took a long drink from one of the bottles and pulled out a notebook, scribbling in it aimlessly.

Eventually, she put it down in frustration and picked up the pills. She swallowed all of them and cried as she continued drinking. Marley picked the notebook back up and tried in vain to write the last words she wanted to say.

She knew she was starting to feel drowsy but she resisted the urge to fall asleep. "_You can sleep when you're dead." _she thought to herself wryly.

At one point she collapsed next to the bed and sobbed uncontrollably. They saw her breathing become more shallow as the life was slowly draining out of her. Then, they were alerted by a knocking on the window.

"Marley? Hey Marley? Oh my God." Ryder yelled from outside.

Then he slipped his arm inside the cracked window and pushed it up so he could climb in. He ran over to her body and tried to wake her up. "No! Just leave me alone!" Marley sobbed weakly.

"Oh shit." Ryder said when he saw the pill bottles and vodka spilled on the floor.

"No Marley! Please don't do this. Just no…" Ryder sobbed, pulling out his cell phone and dialing 911 with trembling hands. "Hello? Um, I think my friend tried to overdose. I found her passed out and her breathing is getting shallow. Please hurry!" Ryder said to the 911 operator while holding her hand.

Ryder finished the phone call and looked at Marley determinedly. Marley knew he knew CPR because he was a lifeguard over the summer and looked on as he performed CPR on the lifeless body. Then chaos ensued as the paramedics and a couple of police officers came in the house. Marley couldn't help but stare at Ryder as he was pushed away and broke down.

Santana then took her hand and pulled her away. "Come on. I think that that's enough." she said as they went to the present day at the hospital.

Marley saw on the wall clock it was eleven o'clock. Marley only had one hour left to choose between life and death. Marley and Santana walked into her hospital room and sat down. They weren't alone. Ryder and her mom were sitting at her bedside. At least Ryder looked like he got a few hours of sleep. Her mom looked terrible. Then, her cell phone rang. Millie took the call in the hallway and left Ryder alone. Then she came back in the room.

"Ryder? Something's come up at the house so I have to go. Do you want a ride?" she told him. "Umm, if you don't mind, I'll stay and keep an eye on her?" he asked.

"Yeah, that's fine Ryder. Just call me if anything happens." Millie sighed as she smiled melancholically at the boy.

"Yeah of course." he said staring at Marley, willing her to wake up with his mind.

Millie didn't have the heart to tell him it was unlikely she'd wake up anytime soon. Millie left, and Ryder was holding back his tears. He'd cried enough for everybody over the past twenty-four hours. Then, the nice nurse came back in to check on Marley.

"Hello dear." she smiled sweetly at Ryder.

"You really like her, don't you?" she winked at him.

"Yeah, I love her." Ryder said weakly.

"You know, studies have shown that talking or singing to the patient helps them. You want to try it?" the nurse said to him. Ryder wasn't sure what to do.

Once the nurse left, he took a deep breath and started singing to her. He moved closer to the bed and continued to stroke her hand. He took Marley's hand and kissed it softly, then buried his head next to her and sobbed. At that point, it was 11:59pm. Marley had made her decision. There was no way she could leave him behind.

Ryder felt a slight squeeze in his hand and looked up. Marley's eyes fluttered open and she looked around the room in confusion. "Ryder?" she said weakly. Ryder looked like he saw a ghost.

A couple of hours later, Ryder broke the silence between them.

"Marley, I…I don't know how to react right now." he sighed, still holding her hand.

"Ryder I'm so sorry! I just couldn't take it anymore! I'm a horrible person, I know I am! Please don't be mad at me." she sobbed.

"Shhh. Marley. Hey, it's fine. You're here with us now. You'll get through this. I'm not mad, I just hate seeing you so miserable and knowing there's nothing I can do. Ok? You're not a horrible person Marls. Please stop blaming yourself for everything. You know I would do anything for you right? If I could take away every bad feeling you have and make it better for you, I could. I've always been there for you. I'm not giving up on you, Marley." he said as he climbed on the bed carefully and held her tightly.

~3 months later~

It had been three months since Marley tried to take her own life. According to everyone, she'd been in a coma for a day but woke up. Marley left the hospital a few weeks later, but wasn't allowed to go back to school until she completed counseling and would have to be cleared by a therapist before she went back.

The bright side, was that she was allowed to do an outpatient program that allowed her to stay at home as opposed to staying in a hospital. The downside though, was that she had to be watched at all times. The school board let her mom take a little time off but she had to go back to work. Luckily, Marley had a twenty year old brother she hadn't seen in two years since he decided to travel the world after he graduated from high school.

After Millie told him about Marley, he offered to come to Lima and spend some time with them, but all the anti-depressants the doctor prescribed made her tired and she slept most of the time. Also, Marley had to miss sectionals, but the New Directions won yet again. Mr. Schue told her that he couldn't wait for her to come back so they could get ready for regionals. All of her Glee friends visited her a lot, especially Ryder. One time when they were watching movies on her couch, Marley surprised him by kissing him and saying she was ready to be with him. They were taking their relationship slow, but Marley was really happy with him.

It was the day before she was due to go back to school. Ryder had basketball practice, so Tina, Mercedes, Unique, Brittany, Santana and Kurt surprised her. They brought some clothes and make-up with them.

"We thought you'd want a makeover, considering you've lived in pajamas for three months and Ryder has a surprise for you tonight." Unique smiled at her.

Marley hugged everyone and was glad for the company. "That sounds great guys." Marley smiled and let them get started.

A few hours later, Marley stood in front of her mirror, admiring their work. "Thank you so much! But this isn't necessary, I mean Ryder just said we were going to dinner and a movie." she said to them. "There's nothing wrong with looking classy on a date." Kurt told her.

Then, they heard the doorbell ring. "Ok so we're going to go now. But, tell us how it goes?" Santana said as she gave Marley one last hug.

"Sure thing. See you all later." Marley smiled as her friends left. As they all left, Ryder was left standing in front of the door holding a bouquet of peonies, her favorite flowers. She giggled as he flashed her a goofy smile and pulled her close to him, kissing the top of her head.

"Hey beautiful. You look amazing." he whispered.

"Aww thanks Ry! I see you clean up nice after basketball practice." she replied, giving him a quick kiss on the lips.

"Ok, so how about you go put these in some water and then we'll leave? I got us tickets to see _Catching Fire_ and the show starts in forty-five minutes. Then, I got us reservations at Breadstix's." he said to her happily.

"Ok, give me a sec." she giggled.

A couple of hours later, they pulled into the restaurant, still talking about the movie. Marley thought she recognized some of the cars in the parking lot, but let it go. Marley started to open her door, but Ryder stopped her as he sent off a quick text message to someone.

"Wait a second. I'll get that for you." he said as he frantically got out of the car. "Now close your eyes." he instructed. "Oh no! This isn't what I think it is…" Marley said, immediately freaking out.

"Marls, please don't ruin this!" he told her sternly. As Ryder finally led her to the restaurant and opened the door, Marley heard yells from all over. "Surprise!" a group of people yelled as she opened her eyes. She saw all of her friends standing in front of her and the inside of the restaurant elaborately decorated. Soon, she was enveloped in hugs from all over. Finally, she was led over to a table occupied by Ryder, her brother and her mom.

"Ok, who's responsible for all this?" Marley asked them. Ryder smiled sheepishly as her mom and brother pointed at Ryder.

"I just wanted you to know how much we all love you before you finally return to school. We know it's not going to be easy, but we're going to support you. "We need you Marls." he said as she gave him a tight hug.

"I love you so much, Ryder." Marley whispered to him.

"I love you too." he replied, pulling her up with him so they could dance the night away in each other's arms.

At one point in the night, Kitty pulled her aside. "Marley, I just wanted to say how sorry I am for all I did to you. I know I really screwed up any chance of us being friends, but I just want you to know, I've never been great at keeping friends and you were my only real friend I've ever had." Kitty sobbed, avoiding Marley's eyes.

"Kitty, I forgive you. Not because you deserve it, but because I don't want to be held down by some stupid grudge. I'll probably never trust you, but I'm willing to give you another shot. No one needs to be alone." Marley said as she gave the girl a hug.

"I finally broke it off with Jake. The day after you woke up, he admitted to Ms. Pillsbury he drugged you and raped you at the party. I spread those stupid rumors about you because I was jealous of you and that he would still choose you over me until he finally got what he wanted. I thought all Puckermans were the same, but after Jake went to juvie, I met his brother, Noah. He's actually way better than Jake." Kitty said to her.

Marley knew all about Jake being sent to juvie for admitting what he did because she had to give a statement. Luckily, there wasn't a huge trial because Jake came clean about it all, but Marley thought Kitty would've been pissed at her.

"He was never worth it." Marley sobbed. "But I do have to give him the credit for finally giving me the push towards Ryder." she said as her and Kitty cried.

Then, they were interrupted by Finn yelling at them. "Hey, Kitty and Marley! How about giving us the duet you did last year?" he yelled, smiling at them.

Marley pulled her up and they walked to the stage and gave a rousing performance of _Holding out for a hero_ as per requested. When they were done, they laughed and hugged as the room erupted into applause.

Ryder pulled Marley off of the stage as Mr. Schue, Finn, Blaine, Sam and Artie got up on the stage and started singing some Backstreet boys song. Ryder wrapped her close to him and gave her a deep and passionate kiss. Luckily, her mom had left an hour earlier, because Marley took Ryder to a back corner of the dining room and started making out with him. When they were done, Marley sat her head against his strong chest, feeling like everything had finally come together for her. "Ryder, thank you so much for everything. And I'm sorry for making you wait for me." she said to him.

"You were worth it all along, Marley." he replied smiling.


End file.
